Anria is lonely, you meet Anria, yes? Yes
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Post by Anria Liana on Mar 12, 2017 19:45:01 GMT
SEARCHING IN THE DARKNESS WE ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT RUNNING FROM THE DAY She tried to suppress a giggle of agreement when he acknowledged how no one else seemed to hide anything. Her thoughts immediately went to an acquaintance of hers, Laura, who had been so eager to spill her life story that Anria had almost slipped and fallen in it. She almost missed his use of the word 'we,' but was not able to enact on it before he was answering next question, unknowingly addressing the inquisition still sitting on Anria's tongue.
It wasn't that she was surprised to be right about this stranger's own secrecy - far from it; she knew in her gut that he did - but she was startled by how easily he gave to pressure. Like him, Anria began questioning the composition of his mask, and how it had been so easy to be cast aside.
There was something else there, though, sitting in the dusty nooks and compartments of Anria's mind. It was truly a startling emotion, one she hadn't felt in years, and it was entirely unknown to Anria why she would suddenly feel empathetic for anyone, nonetheless a stranger. A chill passed down her spine. She didn't like where this emotion was taking her, knowing how the last time she had let herself open up to someone had gone - or the time before that, and before that.
Anria's brain hastily rationalized apart this 'empathy' creature, and concluded that both she and the stranger were uncomfortable with how much pain was associated with removing their mask. It really should have been more obvious to her, but Anria was rarely comfortable with emotion, hence her constant bottling of it.
"Hm," was all she could muster in response, because she really didn't feel the need to shatter this guy. After a slight hesitation, she removed her hand from of the water and stuck it out towards the boy. "Anria Liana."
UMMMM that second paragraph is not fair !?? HOW do you make it so GOOD??
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and im hardly singing now, never heard a whisper scream so loud
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Post by Alec Weathers on Aug 12, 2017 5:20:51 GMT
give me time and give me space Alec lifted his eyes to look at her when he heard her uncharacteristically simple response, accidentally betraying how interested in her he truly was. There was an almost hesitance in it, though- like she was holding something back. While Alec could admit that he was being more open with her than he had been to anyone in a long time, he was still holding back, too. Just because they both recognized that they were similar didn't mean that they had to be the best of buddies so quickly.
Then she gave her name, and offered her hand. Suddenly Alec realized he hadn't even decided which one of his to give her, yet, For a while, he only stared at her hand, as thought he didn't even know what a handshake was. "Alec," he said finally, surprising even himself with the honesty of it. "Weathers," he added, after realizing that she had already said hers, and since he'd already given his real first name, his last name wouldn't hurt. It wasn't like she could really expose him to anyone here, anyway. It wasn't like he was still in the Away. He shook her hand, but wiped the water off on his jeans as soon as he let go, having realized a moment too late that she was still wet. "You come here often? Or are you having a particularly off day? |
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Anria is lonely, you meet Anria, yes? Yes
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Post by Anria Liana on Aug 13, 2017 4:47:04 GMT
SEARCHING IN THE DARKNESS WE ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT RUNNING FROM THE DAY
Anria retracted her hand after completing their handshake, slipping her shoulders back into the icy water.
An off day? Again, Anria's thoughts jerked back to Chase, Laura, the few others she had met in this sparsely populated Haven. How would the average Joe describe an 'off day' to someone as under-qualified to identify them as Anria?
Anria, unknown to her, adopted a quizzical expression as her neurons fired rapidly to try to comprehend such a simple question. Well, she began to suppose, it would probably involve some cataclysmic event that would send her into a deep and spiraling torment of confusion, frustration, and regretted decisions; perhaps some life altering event and/or epiphany. It would involve uncomfortable and unwanted emotions. She would wish the day could be passed, reset, mended.
Evidently, Anria had experienced more than a few of these so-called 'off days' in her recent past.
An accidentally self-inflicted wound on her palm started to sting slightly in the frigid water, reminding Anria, yet again, of her uncomfortable prior encounter to Chase.
Yes, definitely some very, very off days.
"What do you think?" Anria replied, lacking a majority of its characteristic venom. Her black pupils, highlighted by her uniquely-colored blue-teal irises, held unwavering in this Alec Weathers's direction. "Not to be frank or anything," she continued with a smirk that was a little more of the typical Anria, "but I could be asking you the same questions?"
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and im hardly singing now, never heard a whisper scream so loud
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Post by Alec Weathers on Aug 13, 2017 23:34:47 GMT
give me time and give me space Alec couldn't help but begin to raise an eyebrow the longer the silence stretched on, observing Anria as she spent what he thought was a suspiciously long time dwelling on his question. While he waited, he finally shut his camera off and put it back away in his bag, aware that the gesture made it obvious how much he was actually invested in the conversation, yet not really caring.
"I think you have had an off day," he replied. "I wasn't sure before, but the very fact that you just avoided actually giving me an answer makes it rather obvious that something's bothering you." He paused. "Well. Something other than what usually would be."
He chuckled slightly when she spun the question right back on him again. "I think everyday is an off day in some way," he almost laughed. "But today has been okay. I was exploring is all. I'm not used to limits- despite having technically moved here a while ago, I haven't really lived here so much." He shrugged, vaguely aware that he usually wasn't this chatty. He wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. In any case, he kept going. "What about you? Have you lived here long?" |
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Anria is lonely, you meet Anria, yes? Yes
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Post by Anria Liana on Aug 14, 2017 0:13:36 GMT
SEARCHING IN THE DARKNESS WE ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT RUNNING FROM THE DAY Anria said nothing and did all that was in her power not to show she had noticed when Alec tucked his camera away. Though, she had, and it very nearly warmed her heart to see someone so similar to herself invested in a conversation with her. Of course, most people remained engaged in a conversation with Anria, but with Alec... She wasn't really sure. To Anria, it felt.. different, perhaps because of their distinct similarity. Yes, that was probably all there was to it.
She couldn't help but think he resembled a shrink as she listened to his little speech about her off days being atypically off. Anria kind of snorted at him, a sound of a huff of ridicule, as her gaze wandered to watch the opaque water swirl down the gentle gradient of the river bed and curve off behind a bend.
But Anria's attention snapped back to Alec when he began responding. She hadn't really expected him to answer her redirected question, even if his response was vague. She nodded in agreement; Haven was exponentially long, and no one really knew it's extent.
How long had she lived here? Anria bit the bottom corner of her lip, staring over Alec's shoulder in thought. "I'm not really sure," she responded, and it was an honest response. The time she had spent in Haven all started to blur together, and no matter how intensely she invested in racking her brain for the answer, she really couldn't have placed the day she wandered, shocked, into Haven. "A year? Maybe a little more.." After a few more minutes of staring past him, she shrugged, blinked several times, then beamed at him.
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and im hardly singing now, never heard a whisper scream so loud
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Post by Alec Weathers on Aug 14, 2017 18:25:49 GMT
give me time and give me space Alec had to put an effort into not seeming taken aback but the outright honesty in Anria's answer. It caught him off guard, the sudden openness of it. From what he knew of Anria, it was uncharacteristic- even rare. She was a woman of many secrets, some of which Alec could guess easily, but other that were hidden deeper, under layers and layers that he didn't hold out too much hope of penetrating.
Somehow, though, those had all slipped away, if only for a moment. It still mattered.
Why did that matter, though? Why would that matter to him?
Best not to think about it.
"...and?" he pressed. "What do you think? Does it live up to the legend?" He tipped his head to the side. "What are the people like? Is there anyone you care about yet? Oh- even better- anyone you hate?" |
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Anria is lonely, you meet Anria, yes? Yes
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Post by Anria Liana on Aug 14, 2017 19:01:56 GMT
SEARCHING IN THE DARKNESS WE ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT RUNNING FROM THE DAY Anria raised an eyebrow at him, giving him another once-over with her sharp eyes. Alec jerked his head up, and under his near-blank express, Anria could have sworn she saw surprise, right under the surface of his expression. She could have easily filed away that surface and pried into that surprise, but for some unknown reason, she just.. didn't feel it was necessary. A chill passed down her spine as she met his gaze, her body sending surges of "What is wrong with me?" through her veins.
"...and?" he pressed. "What do you think? Does it live up to the legend?"
Again, Anria shrugged, physically jerking her out of whatever trance that had held her captive for that fraction of a second. "Well, there's no humans as far as I can tell," she reflected, then thought of Asriel and their fight, "But it's only about as safe as any other imperfect city masked by a perfect facade."
"What are the people like? Is there anyone you care about yet? Oh- even better- anyone you hate?"
She gave a few short huffs of laughter in her smooth, articulate voice. "I don't think I'm the most qualified person to tell you what the people are like." She gave him an almost warm smile-smirk. She ran her fingers back through her hair, sweeping some of the wet clumps back over the crown of her head. "My relationships with people here are... complicated, to say the least."
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and im hardly singing now, never heard a whisper scream so loud
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Post by Alec Weathers on Aug 21, 2017 23:15:20 GMT
give me time and give me space "Hmm. Good to know," he noted out loud at her comment about it being about as safe as any other place that claimed to be. He planned to relax here- but he hadn't been planning on doing it enough to actually let his guard down. If somebody like Anria was admitting there was still danger lurking in the shadows of Haven, Alec was more inclined to believe it. She seemed like somebody who was careful.
She seemed like somebody who was dangerous, too. Alec decided that was likely part of her charm, though- he just had to be careful not to get so close that he lost himself in her depths.
Wasn't that part of the fun, though? Getting too close to the things that were dangerous- the things you knew could hurt you. Like a moth to a flame.
Man to a mermaid. Alec had the feeling she was more of a siren, though.
He shook the thought away. He wasn't sure why it had come up in the first place.
"Complicated?" he echoed, suddenly more interested- though perhaps that was less because of actual interest and more because he was more desperate for a distraction from his own mind than he cared to admit. "How many hearts have you broken? You seem like a heart-breaker." |
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Anria is lonely, you meet Anria, yes? Yes
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Post by Anria Liana on Aug 22, 2017 18:38:29 GMT
SEARCHING IN THE DARKNESS WE ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT RUNNING FROM THE DAY Anria chuckled again, turning her head and blinking once, almost flattered. She was thankful he hadn't pried into her 'complicated' relationship with Haven's inhabitants. She wouldn't have wanted to describe how she was... feeling? Was that the right word?... about her experiences thus far. That, and she really wouldn't have known where to start, or what language to use, in an attempt to depict her chaotic role in Haven. So Anria let that one-word question slip away as Alec's next inquiry leaped to the stage.
"Ahh," she exhaled, a sound floating between concentrated thought and satisfying reflection. "I've lost track. More than I can count on my fingers and toes, no doubt. It's a talent, really; truly a gift."
The therian's tongue flicked out for a second, and she looked up at him with her venomous, intoxicating smirk. "Why d'you ask? Want me to break yours?"
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and im hardly singing now, never heard a whisper scream so loud
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Post by Alec Weathers on Aug 26, 2017 4:34:26 GMT
give me time and give me space Alec found himself laughing at her question. "I doubt there's much of it left to break, honestly," he chuckled, a smirk of his own playing on his lips. He found that it was more sincere than he would have liked to admit.
It was a funny thought, though- imagining himself letting anyone else close to what remained of his heart. Imagining that there was something left for them to get close to, close enough to hurt it. He kept it locked away somewhere, and at some point in those six years of wandering, he was fairly certain he had lost the key. Maybe it was somewhere in the tall skyscrapers of New York- maybe it was somewhere in the redwoods of California. Maybe somebody had already found it.
Somebody like- that was ridiculous. Alec pushed the thought away before it even had the chance to properly form. Still, it lingered like a shadow at the back of his mind, making him somewhat uneasy. He didn't like it. "You're more than welcome to try, though," he teased playfully, hiding behind a facade of confidence that was quickly becoming strained at the edges.
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